1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to bullet traps. More particularly, the present invention relates to a bullet trap that retains a substantial portion of a bullet trapped by the bullet trap.
2. Description of Related Art
Bullet traps per se are well-known and have been used for many years. Typically, such traps are used by firearm manufacturers, by training facilities for military or police personnel, and by recreational target shooting facilities. Bullet traps are of widely varying configurations, from wood boards, to sand-filled traps, to complex deceleration chambers.
By way of example, a known sand-type bullet trap typically consists of a quantity of sand in a hardwood box set against a concrete wall. This type of trap poses several problems. As the trap begins to fill with lead bullets, there is a risk that an incoming bullet will strike a bullet lodged in the sand and ricochet in a dangerous manner. Therefore, the sand must be changed periodically, requiring extensive labor at considerable cost. Mechanical bullet traps having deflecting plates or deceleration chamber designs are also in existence.
To this point, existing mechanical bullet traps have proved inadequate at solving the problem of safely minimizing lead contamination to the environment with an economical, easily maintained device. For example, deflecting plate/deceleration chamber designs have employed large quantities of expensive high strength steel necessitated by the high bullet impact angles employed in the designs. In addition, the construction of deceleration chambers is complex and therefore expensive to build. Known deceleration chambers also suffer from the fact that their designs make inspection and replacement of parts difficult or impossible without a complete disassembly of the bullet trap. Moreover, many of the known bullet traps fail to provide any means for preventing the release of lead particles and dust into the atmosphere because they cause a substantial break down of bullets fired into them.
Other bullet trap systems may further include fluid spraying and flow systems that act to lubricate the trap, slow the bullet and catch bullet fragments. However, these systems require complex fluid flow and piping systems which adds to their cost, and maintenance needs.
Therefore, what is needed is a low cost, easy to maintain modular bullet trap that minimizes the release of lead dust and maintains a substantial portion of the bullet.